Small Brewers Hit the Spot in New England

When the Boston Beer Co. introduced Samuel Adams lager to New England seven years ago, the idea of a small, upstart brewer taking on the U.S. beer kings and expensive imports was considered an impossible dream.

With Sam Adams now well-established as a niche product, though, others are jumping on the bandwagon. There are now 11 small beer companies in New England, and the region is becoming something of a center for so-called microbreweries.

New England’s small brewers are after the estimated 10% of the regional market that purchases “craft beers”--any beer not made by one of the U.S. beer giants.

Today, the small brewers occupy only a fraction of that market, which is still dominated by European imports. But brewers say the idea of locally made beer is catching on.

“The fact that there are more regional brewers around has actually been good for all of us,” said Jim Koch, founder and owner of Boston Beer Co. “It’s called more attention to the industry and given us an added legitimacy. And a little competition is good for any company.”

Small brewers say their customers are looking for a distinctive-tasting beer. Big-name brands such as Miller, Budweiser and Coors are made to appeal to a mass market, with a taste that aims to offend no one.

Until Sam Adams hit the shelves in 1985, the only choice for New England consumers searching for fuller-tasting beers was imports.

Local brews have two advantages over imports. One is freshness--local beer can make it to consumers’ hands faster, and that’s a plus in the beer market.

“A lot of imports are already stale by the time they arrive,” said Richard Doyle, president of the Mass Bay Brewing Co., which makes the Harpoon brand.

Another advantage is the so-called “nostalgia” element.

“People like the idea of a beer that’s made just up the road,” said Jonathan Tremblay of the Cambridge Brewing Co.

That element could become even more of a factor with a “Buy American” craze giving domestic manufacturers a boost.

The trend toward “boutique brews” is not confined to New England. Anchor Steam, producing a hefty stout that is the antithesis of classic American beer, has long been a fixture in Northern California, while New York has New Amsterdam ale.

Getting even a small foothold in the U.S. market is no easy task, however. Manhattan Brewing Co. went out of business last fall after finding little success for its formula of brewing a variety of high-toned beers right at the restaurant.

The challenge for small brewers is to achieve consistent quality with equipment that is usually far less sophisticated than that of the mammoth beer makers. Small players also have far less money to spend on marketing.